Luke Lewitzke

Certified A.C.E. (American Counsel on Exercise) Personal Trainer

Weight and Lifestyle Management Specialist

The Cat/Cow Pose is a great movement to perform to warm-up and loosen the muscles of the back and hips to improve spinal mobility and flexibility.  This exercise will strengthen and stretch the muscles of your shoulders, back (specifically your erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboids), and neck, while also stretching the muscles of your hips and rectus abdominus to help with hip mobility and posture.

Performing the Cat/Cow Pose

• Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and fill your belly with air.
• As you exhale, allow your belly to sink towards the floor and look up towards the wall in front of you. 
• As you inhale, round your back towards the ceiling, tucking your chin and looking down and back between your legs.  
• Breathe slowly and perform the movement with each breath.  
• Move within a comfortable range of motion.
• Perform 10-15 repetitions as needed throughout the day.

Muscles Worked/Stretched

Modifications

• Limit your range of motion to work within a comfortable range. Do not force the motion one way or the other.
• If you can’t kneel for whatever reason, perform the movement standing.

Standing Cat/Cow

• Sit down into your hips, placing your hands on your thighs.
• Push your chest up between your shoulders, rounding your spine, and look down between your knees while keeping your stance the same in that parial squat as you breathe in.
• As you exhale, lift your chest up to the sky, lengthening your spine, look up, and tilt your hips to lift your tailbone.
• Repeat and exhale as you round your back up to the ceiling.
• Work within a comfortable range of motion.
• Perform 10-15 repetitions.

Contraindications

• Limit your range of motion if you experience any discomfort.
• Don’t perform the Cat/Cow exercise if you experience sharp pain in your lower back or neck or numbness occurs in your extremities when performing the exercise.